Johnny Napalm is a main character in the Guitar Hero series. He is one of only a handful of characters to appear in every game in the series, a distinction only shared with Axel Steel and Judy Nails. He represents the punk genre in all games and is featured on the cover of the first Guitar Hero.
Descriptions
- Johnny Napalm. Guitar God. But it wasn't always that way. Before his 19th birthday he'd already had several brushes with the law and served jail time. His social workers labeled him a "lost cause" noting several times that he "doesn't play well with others." If only they could see him play now. Inspired by the punk movement of the late 70s London, Johnny found a guitar, changed his name, and grabbed his destiny. Without a single lesson, his awesome talent and raw sound have earned him guitar god status. His latest album "Hair Shirt" burns the eardrums just right. We wish we could supply you with a quote from Johnny, but he never sits still for an interview. -- Guitar Hero manual bio.
- Raw is the word that describes Johnny Napalm best. That goes for his guitar playing and his abuse of the English language. His energy on stage is unmatched. He's the true successor to the Punk Era and an awesome talent. -- Guitar Hero in-game bio.
- He embodies the true spirit of punk rock with his signature swagger and skills. Released from lockup for almost tolerable behavior, Johnny lurches back into the spotlight, rough and ready for action. -- Guitar Hero II in-game bio.
- A fiend for surf punk and rapid downstrokes, Johnny Napalm spends as much time thrashing onstage as he does gettin' hassled by the 5-0. Fully chaotic and hella toxic, Johnny's all-age shows are totally legendary. -- Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s in-game bio.
- "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Whoever said that never met Johnny. Up all night thrashing and partying, there is no sleeping for Johnny, just blacking out. "I eat disco and $*&^ emo." -- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits in-game bio.
- Johnny Napalm is the most angry, disrespectful, intense, and controversial guitarist today. Once the music starts, all his aggression suppressed by society's laws comes out on his strings. He has been labeled a lost cause, a menace to society, an anarchist, and a Guitar Legend. Johnny can incite a riot (and often does) with his mind-blowing solos and aggressive chords. His chaotic guitar playing excites audiences and keeps them screaming for more. --Guitar Hero: On Tour in-game bio.
- Johnny is back in full form and he's not clowning around. "Punk is dead!" a crowd member was heard screaming at a Johnny Napalm show last summer. A truly prophetic statement for the young man... -- Guitar Hero 5 in-game bio.
- Johnny's career retrospective 'Napalmanac' features honest, haunting lyrics that strike like tigers, burning bright in a miasma of acid guitar, brutal bass and burning beats. - Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, human form description.
- Johnny's energy is boundless, but unfocused and wild. Given a greater goal; though, he could bring his tempestuous nature to bear. - Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, human form loading screen.
- Johnny was victorious, and his reward approaches. Go forth Johnny. You are now the true embodiment of chaos. - Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, transformation narration.
Appearance and Outfits
Johnny Napalm is depicted as a tall, slim, and lanky character. His hair is typically fashioned in a mohawk, and its colors and styles vary depending on the game.
Guitar Hero
Johnny wore a sleeveless, ripped Union Jack shirt, ripped blue denim pants and navy-blue sneakers. His mohawk is green and spiked, and he has a soul patch.
Guitar Hero II
Mohawk
Johnny wears a yellow sleeveless T-shirt with a radioactive symbol in black that takes up the whole space of the shirt. He wears blue jeans torn up just below his knees, green socks and black sneakers with a pattern of skulls.
Liberty Spikes
- Johnny has a couple of different looks, but neither of them involves bathing. With liberty spikes and a bullet belt, Johnny makes sordid, degenerate behavior look pretty good. - Shop description.
Johnny wears a khaki jacket with a mesh shirt and a T-shirt combined underneath, on which the anarchy symbol is represented, black fingerless gloves, a bullet belt around his waist, blue denim pants and combat boots. On the back a white patch is shown on with bombs on it and featuring the name 'Napalm' As the name implies, his hair is styled in liberty spikes instead of a mohawk. In both outfits he has a soul patch.
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's
In this game, Johnny's hair is styled differently: he sports a McSqueeb, a hair style popularized by Tony Hawk. He wears a studded choker around his neck and a red sleeveless shirt, on which the anarchy logo appears silk-screened, as noted by the uneven shade of red around the logo. He wears blue denim shorts and red sneakers.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Liberty Spikes
Johnny's hair is a spiked mohawk again, but much longer than in the previous games. He appears shirtless, with many new tattoos on his arms and torso (notably the word "ROTTEN" above a biohazard symbol on his navel), but wears ripped denim pants with chains dangling from it and "creeper"-style sneakers with liner length black socks above them, visible if his left shoe (the shoe on the viewer's right) on his GH3 concept art unlockable in Quickplay+ on Warriors of Rock is looked at closely enough. He has a leather band on the left wrist and a sweatband on the right.
- Bloodshot: Black denim trousers with a Union Jack motif, red hair, white zebra-print shoes. Sweatband is white with red stripes.
- Pea Soup: Blue denim trousers with a Union Jack print in green, blue hair fading to green toward the tips, black leopard-print shoes. Sweatband is black with one red stripe and one white stripe.
- Spew: Half-pink and half-white denim trousers, rainbow-colored hair, red shoes with leopard print in blue and white. Sweatband is black with white stripes, leather wristband is white, arm tattoos have more vibrant colors.
- Skeleton: Johnny's entire upper body is painted black and white to resemble a skeleton. Red hair. He also wears gloves with bone prints, white denim trousers and black shoes with a pattern of skulls.
Mohawk
Johnny's leather jacket served as his only shelter when he was living on the street in '82. But it was cool. He was able to save money to buy enough hair products to maintain a killer sky-high mohawk. - Shop description.
Johnny's hair is a foot-long straight mohawk. He wears a studded leather jacket with the shoulders torn over a ripped undershirt, a chain necklace with a padlock, patched-together zipper pants and a pair of combat boots, with spikes on the right one.
- Spinach: Black jacket with blue left sleeve, flames motif and leopard-print collar. White undershirt, half-red and half-yellow plaid trousers and black boots with khaki laces and a large green splatter on the left one. Green hair.
- Pumpkin: Black jacket with left sleeve in blue, burgundy and white, right sleeve mostly green and zebra-print collar. Grey undershirt with a skull logo, urban camo trousers and black boots with red laces. Orange hair.
- Two Tone: Red plaid jacket with black collar. White undershirt with a skating punk logo, black trousers and black boots with yellow laces. Hair alternates between yellow and blue.
- Eggplant: White jacket with sky blue fade at the bottom and right sleeve, left sleeve in green and brown and leopard-print collar. Black undershirt, blue plaid trousers with yellow and red patches and black boots with white laces. Purple hair.
Guitar Hero On Tour
In his "Formal Wear" outfit Johnny looks the same as he did in GH3, but with different tattoos and no Union Jack Logo on the pants
His "Ink" outfit has a green Mohawk (spiked in liberty spikes) with blue on the end, and is covered in tattoos all over his arms, back, and chest.
His "Anarchy" outfit has him dressed in brown pants, blue Mohawk (once again spiked in liberty spikes), and a black sleeveless shirt with a white anarchy logo on it. It's also a reference to the Sex Pistols song, "Anarchy In The UK" which is a playable song in Guitar Hero 3.
Guitar Hero World Tour
Johnny's hair is red in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions but is white in the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions.
Default Clothing
- Torso: DIY Leather Punk
- Pants: Union Jack Jeans
- Shoes: Ghoulie Heels
Guitar Hero Metallica
Johnny has purple liberty spikes, brown shorts, a black tank top, combat boots which if removed show white crew cut tube socks and has the same tattoos as previously featured in World Tour.
Default Clothing
- Torso: Beater
- Pants: Beach Slacks
- Shoes: Ghoulie Heels
Default Accessories
- Left Arm: Deathband
- Right Arm: Leathery Spike
Guitar Hero Smash Hits
Johnny is also seen in Guitar Hero Smash Hits looking as he did in World Tour but with the outfit seen in Guitar Hero III. In the Wii and Playstation 2 versions, he has no tattoos.
Default Clothing
- Torso: Shirtless
- Pants: Union Jack Jeans
- Shoes: Zebra Skin Kickers
Guitar Hero 5
- Klobber: Johhny has a big, short, thick orange "thick hawk". He wears a short sleeved grey shirt with the words "Napalm 86" written in black on the back of the shirt. He wears skinny pants with red camo on it and an orange kilt near the rear. He wears big red boots with thick pointy spikes on the sides. This default outfit is appropriately titled "Napalm 86". As mentioned, it is the default outfit.
- 1976:
- Generation Zzyzx: The biggest difference is that Johnny has a blonde buzz cut. Johnny wears torn khaki shorts with a chain belt. He has red suspenders with metal adjusters on them. He has his tattoo sleeves as usual and has chain accessories like necklaces, bracelets, etc. He also has bandages on his right bicep and left forearm and hand as well as his abdomen. He has high top brown boots. This outfit can be unlocked through the "Looks that Kill" challenge.
- Surburban Snot Punk:
Band Hero
Burnt Udon: His new appearance looks much different than his previous ones, as now he sports a more casual style, but still retains his punk reputation. His hair blonde and spiked into individual spikes in a style appropriately called "All Product, No Egg". He wears a black and white striped long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows under a tan short sleeved shirt with several military patches on it, accessorized with a red skinny tie. He wears this along with jeans and white sneakers. He has a white wrist band with blue and red stripes on his right arm. In this version, he looks significantly older and sports many tattoos. His alternative outfit looks more similar to his signature look; he has a thick blonde mohawk with the ends dyed orange and a sleeveless black shirt over an orange one.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock- Warrior Form His Warrior form gives him the appearance of a blue hobgoblin. He has spikes on his forearms and biceps. He has a studded leather vest and tight black jeans. His mohawk is made of steel spikes and he has red glowing eyes. And he has two spikes coming out of his ears. He also has a lock collar in his neck. He has claws, similar to Wolverine's.
Origin
Johnny was born and raised in East London, the source of his Cockney heritage. His father, Eggy, was one of the original Hair-Punks of London in the late 70's. He was previously in a band called I Can't Believe You're Going Out Like That, You Look Ridiculous!
According to an excerpt from the original Guitar Hero’s manual, his social worker claims that, "he doesn't play well with others." In Guitar Hero III, his Mohawk description states that, “[his] leather jacket served as his only shelter when he was living on the streets in '82.”
Johnny is well-known for hosting wild parties, which are frequently visited by Izzy Sparks, Lars Ümlaüt, Axel Steel, Casey Lynch, Pandora, Austin Tejas, Echo Tesla, and Judy Nails.
In addition, excerpts from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith hint that he hangs out with Judy Nails and has a romantic relationship with her.
In-Game Appearances
- Guitar Hero
- Guitar Hero II
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
- Guitar Hero World Tour
- Guitar Hero 5
- Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
- Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
- Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
- Guitar Hero: Metallica
- Guitar Hero: Van Halen
- Guitar Hero: Smash Hits
- Guitar Hero: On Tour
- Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades
- Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits
- Band Hero
Songs associated with Johnny Napalm
Guitar Hero Quickplay Songs
- "I Wanna Be Sedated" - Ramones
- "Infected" - Bad Religion
- "Fat Lip" - Sum 41
- "Callout" - The Acro-brats
- "Get Ready 2 Rokk" - Freezepop
- "Guitar Hero" - Monkey Steals the Peach
Guitar Hero II Quickplay Songs
- "Search and Destroy" - The Stooges
- "Who Was in My Room Last Night" - Butthole Surfers
- "Madhouse" - Anthrax
- "Carry Me Home" - The Living End
- "Institutionalized" - Suicidal Tendencies
- "FTK" - Vagiant
- "Laughtrack" - The Acro-brats
- "Salvation" - Rancid
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s Quickplay Songs
- "Turning Japanese" - The Vapors
- "Los Angeles" - X
- "Wrathchild" - Iron Maiden
- "Police Truck" - Dead Kennedys
- "Caught in a Mosh" - Anthrax
Warriors of Rock Setlist
- "What Do I Get?" - Buzzcocks
- "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister
- "Cherry Bomb" - The Runaways
- "Self Esteem" - The Offspring
- "Motivation" - Sum 41
- "Re-Ignition" (Live) - Bad Brains
- "Black Rain" - Soundgarden
- "Theme from Spider-Man" - Ramones (Encore)
Speed Freak
Basic Effects
The score multiplier goes no lower than double points (2x). Keeping the multiplier above triple points (3x) will grant up to two power stars.
+ Effects
The multiplier now increases after a note streak of five notes rather than ten. Keeping the multiplier above triple points now grants up to five power stars.
Trivia
- Johnny's signature guitar is the Green Lightning Les Paul Special in GH1. He likes it for its "light weight, playability and quality of construction".
- Johnny's white shoes that he wore with his Bloodshot Liberty Spikes outfit in GH3 are almost identical to white creeper shoes made by T.U.K.
- Since Johnny Napalm usually appears with The Union Jack on anywhere on the body, he might live in the United Kingdom somewhere in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
- He is the face of the first Guitar Hero game, as he appears on the box art.
- In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, his encore, the theme from Spider Man, is a fitting song, as he can climb walls and ceilings with his bare hands in his warrior form, just like Spider Man.
- While not appearing in the game physically, Johnny's name is shown to be one of the nine opponents in GHTV's Premium Shows in Guitar Hero Live.
- In his "Two Tone" outfit from Guitar Hero III, the cartoon punk seen in his undershirt is the same from Tony Hawk's American Wasteland promotional material.
- According to Warriors of Rock's custom rocker creator, the names of Johnny's bandmates are Shane (singer), Carmen (bassist), and Alfie (drummer).
- He is close friends with Axel Steel and Lars Ümlaüt.
Gallery
.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH1).jpg (28 KB)")
_-_icon.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH1) - icon.jpg (5 KB)"){kind=icon}
.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH2).jpg (39 KB)")
_-_Liberty_Spikes.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH2) - Liberty Spikes.jpg (38 KB)")
.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH3).jpg (92 KB)")
_-_colors.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH3) - colors.jpg (256 KB)")
(L-R) Bloodshot, Pea Soup, Spew and Skeleton
_-_alt_colors.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GH3) - alt colors.jpg (277 KB)")
(L-R) Spinach, Pumpkin, Two Tone and Eggplant
.jpg "Johnny Napalm (GHWT).jpg (81 KB)")
